-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When I moved back home , I knew what I was in for . My mother tends to nag me . She ca n't help it . Fussing is in her nature , and her recent battles with fibromyalgia and a spinal injury have not been easy on her nerves . She is uncompromisingly neat , a characteristic that I have not inherited . My room is what she fusses about most . My junk reminds her that my return was n't something we planned .

I graduated from college in 2009 . After traveling for a year on a Fulbright scholarship , I came home to my mother without a clear vision of my career path , let alone prospects afoot .

According to a recent Pew poll , 39 % of 18 - to 34-year-olds are living with their parents or have moved back in with their parents temporarily because of the sluggish economy . Sixty-three percent of 18 - to 34-year-olds know someone who has moved back home . These numbers do n't surprise me .

My generation has been called the `` boomerangers , '' meaning that young people like me and my friends are nesting with our folks again when we are expected to be independent .

Moving back home has not been easy to swallow . It 's more than adjusting to life under the watchful gaze of parents . It 's more than feeling anxious about finances . After spending my adolescence stressing out over AP classes and college admissions , then dealing with the rigors of university course work , I doffed my graduation cap only to find that somewhere along the line a good education stopped being the finish line . Facing the job market unsuccessfully has sent me back to the drawing board .

We boomerangers have a lot to contemplate . First , we must decide whether to settle for an occupation less than ideal or pursue interests that we genuinely love but may not be as economically rewarding , at least in the short term . My mother 's support has enabled me to do the latter .

After coming home , I started to intern at a local newspaper and applied to journalism graduate schools . With extra time on my hands , I also began to intern at R&B Records , a nearby music store . The owner , Val Shively , has more than 4 million 45s , spanning the genre from the Orioles to the lesser Jacksons . He and a lone employee , Chuck , are walking encyclopedias of the rhythm and blues tradition . When I 'm at the store , I mostly bask in their knowledge , sort picture sleeves and take notes . The experience has placed me knee-deep into a research project on Philadelphia 's music history .

My friends ' stories are similar in some ways . With entry-level positions more difficult to acquire , many boomerangers are forced to look for alternatives . Most of my friends are pursuing internships or graduate study . And still , we wonder : Will this be enough ?

My cousin Evon juggles two internships at training and development centers along with a third internship at a radio station . He is pursuing a career in publicity , but through his excursion into radio has started to develop a programming portfolio . Arniece , a young woman I went to high school with , took over her family 's kitchen last summer in search of the perfect pound cake recipe . She 's now planning to get her bakery , Pound of Cake , off the ground . My friend Gabriel searched fruitlessly for a job in advertising before spending two years as a line cook , only to find himself as a visual resources coordinator in the special collections of university libraries . While my friends and I have enjoyed our experiences , the current job market has brought a feeling of uncertainty , which has been unsettling .

In 2009 , a record number of high school students enrolled in colleges . While it is good news that more Americans are getting a higher education , it also means that competition among young graduates is intensifying . We 're left to ponder how to get a leg up . As we vie for the same internships and graduate programs , we expect that our student loan debt will become deeper . Who 's to say when we 'll be able to afford our starter houses ?

I can attest that many of my peers are taking time to hone their skills . I 've watched them carve out niches for themselves , through internships and sheer will . I would say that my friends are all more enriched individuals . But the uncertainty still lingers . With the changing times , the road to self-reliance and success appears stretched out .

Fortunately , the end of my boomerang season is in sight . Come autumn , I 'll be enrolled in graduate school . My mother and I are both excited . She 's thrilled that she 'll finally have my room in order . I 'm thrilled that soon I 'll get to make a room of my own .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cassie Owens .

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Pew poll says 39 % of young adults are living with or have moved back with their parents

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Cassie Owens : I moved back home without a clear vision of my career path or prospects

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She says entry-level jobs are hard to get and many of her peers must look for alternatives

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Owens : The road to self-reliance appears stretched out for her generation